Regardless of politics, it’s fascinating to see how the White House works.

Seasons is a gorgeous movie that is exceedingly strange — not necessarily in the story it tells, but in the way it tells it.

Coppola's audacity in not only portraying the unmoored nature of Marco's life but immersing the audience in it proves satisfying over time.

Smile 2 is a bigger movie in every way. Bigger isn’t necessarily better, but in this case, it’s not bad.

Barbershop: The Next Cut embraces the societal changes and rifts of the past decade, from Chicago’s increased violence and the Black Lives Matter movement to Barack Obama’s historic presidency, making the film an even more heartfelt love letter to Chicago.

The film, directed and co-written by Jorge R. Gutierrez, is a visually stunning, funny movie that trusts children to deal with subject matter that many films don't: specifically, death.

Some people will find Miranda July's film a poetic triumph, a meditation on responsibility and disappointment. Others will find it hopelessly pretentious, one of those movies only pointy-headed critics can abide. I found the film to be more of the former than the latter. Except when the cat talks.

It's beautiful to behold and wears its magic on its well-appointed sleeves, daring the audience to crack wise.

Shining is nothing new for McKellen, a brilliant actor, and it's interesting to see how he and Condon portray Holmes' faculties at different times.

With a performance that is wide-ranging by necessity, Kazan makes Ruby immensely likable (as well as clingy, manic, sad, happy and whatever else Calvin wants her to be).

For all its ludicrous plot twists and a mystery that falls too conveniently into place, A Simple Favor is just fun. It's light and frothy.

Do all of the aspects of the story hold up? It’s to the credit of the film and Kravitz that those questions never occur to you while you’re watching “Blink Twice.” You’re too engaged to notice.

If directors Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh don't reinvent the panda-as-martial-artist wheel, they avoid making the story seem stale. The terrific animation helps, of course.

It is McAvoy you will remember, because you won’t be able to forget his full-throttle performance.

Wonder will make you cry — that’s one of the main purposes of its existence — but it’ll also drive you a little crazy.

Sure, the hits would have been nice. But it says something about Jimi: All Is by My Side (and Benjamin's performance) that it is still a success without them.

The film is choppy in parts, but it is George Takei's approachability, his constant big laughter, even his singing (he performs "Don't Fence Me In" after explaining how the internment camps made the lyrics poignant to him) that tie it together.

Despite the lethal force that inevitably gets applied to poor Lisbeth, we never really fear for her safety, but we do fear for her future happiness. That is where the real drama lies.

The film is, like its predecessors, funny. But the joke is starting to wear just a bit thin.

The Wind succeeds on two fronts. First, the despair of isolation comes through on nearly every frame, a situation as dire as any demon. Secondly, Lizzy stays steadfast, refusing to succumb even as her husband disappears. That's a credit to the vision of Tammi, who refuses to let the The Wind devolve into a typical, and predictable, horror movie.

Writer-director Noah Buschel (he was behind the Corey Stoll boxing drama “Glass Chin”) has crafted an odd little film that is sometimes compelling, sometimes maddening.

Bacon can play just about anything, and he’s having a good time here as a guy not quite smart enough to keep himself out of trouble, but wily enough to try to dig himself out of it. It’s fun to watch.

Broderick and Röhrig's chemistry is so unusual that it works well in this strong feature film directing debut for Shawn Snyder. And that goes for the whole movie. It's so odd that viewers need to see it.

There is much to like about Avengers: Age of Ultron. There was much to love about "The Avengers," and therein lies the difference.

A funny, heartfelt look at families, relationships and the lies that prop them up as much as tear them down.

I was only able to figure out the answer to about a third of the mysteries. But the rest left a thrilling impression that made “Missing” a genuinely fun ride.

The comedy hits more than it misses; this is a really funny movie. And it’s thoughtful, in its @$*# way.

It’s a mix of good films that could have been a single outstanding one.